1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to washing machines, and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for balancing an unbalanced load in a washing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Washing machines typically include a cabinet that houses a wash tub for containing wash and rinse water, a perforated clothes basket within the wash tub, and an agitator within the basket. A drive and motor assembly is mounted underneath the wash tub to rotate the clothes basket and the agitator relative to one another.
Washing machines utilize the basket to hold a load of articles that can be evenly or unevenly distributed. Having a load unevenly distributed, or out-of-balance (“OOB”), creates a situation where a center of mass of the rotating basket does not correspond to a rotational axis of the basket. In a typical washing machine (such as a top or front-loading washing machine) an OOB condition can occur during a spin cycle, for example, when articles to be cleansed, such as clothing and the like, bunch up asymmetrically at various locations in the basket. For various detrimental reasons, the OOB condition is not desirable if left uninterrupted. For example, a wash tub which encloses the basket may strike the cabinet of the washing machine and thus cause damage either to the wash tub, the cabinet, or both. Further, unacceptable stress forces can develop during the OOB condition that can affect a suspension mechanism of the washing machine as well as other components thereof, such as a transmission or other suitable connecting device which links the motor of the washing machine to the basket that is spinning.